The Coolest Israeli Startups Making Our Planet ‘Greener’

“It’s not easy being green,” Kermit the Frog famously sang. While that may be true for some, many Israeli startups are helping the world go ‘green.’ By using innovative technologies which can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, they help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.

In honor of International Mother Earth Day (or, in short, Earth Day), which is celebrated annually on April 22, here are 10 of the coolest Israeli companies and technologies making our world greener:

Tal-Ya: Growing more food with less water

Water shortage is a pressing issue worldwide: According to the UN, 1.2 billion people (almost one-fifth of the world’s population) live in areas where water is scarce, and another 500 million people are nearing this situation. It’s no wonder, then, that the world is seeking to conserve water – both for drinking and for agriculture -especially during droughts.

Fortunately, Israeli company Tal-Ya Agriculture Solutions has developed technologies designed to grow more food with less water. Its reusable plastic trays capture dew from the air, reducing the water needed by crops by 50 percent. The square tray, which costs $3-$5 per piece, is made of recycled plastic. The innovative trays work by surrounding each plant, collecting dew as the weather changes overnight, and funneling it to plants and tree crops. The trays, which are supposed to last for 10 years, also block weeds that would otherwise compete with crops for water.

Since its founding in 2005, Tal-Ya (which means ‘God’s dew’ in Hebrew) has served farmers in Israel, the US, China, Chile, Georgia, Sri Lanka and Australia.

Phresh: Keeping your fruits and veggies crisp

One-third of the food produced around the globe, which is worth roughly $1 trillion, is lost or wasted during its production or consumption. In the US alone, 30-40 percent of the food supply is wasted – more than 20 pounds of food per person per month.

Israeli startup Phresh came up with unique food protectors, which preserve your fruits and vegetables for three times longer and could save each household up to $400 a year from the loss of spoiled fruits and vegetables, while also limiting humankind’s environmental footprint.

Using organic technology to triple the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, Phresh allows people to enjoy healthier foods for longer periods of time. The product comes in the shapes of an apple (red or gold) and robot (white), in which Phresh’s organic, non-toxic powder is inserted. The powder dissolves into the atmosphere and eliminates bacteria and fungi while oxygenating the area, according to the company. As a result, no physical application upon the produce is required, and no additional smells or tastes can be sensed. Phresh is designed to extend the shelf life of cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, apples, lemons, lettuce, grapes, mushrooms, strawberries and pepper.

HomeBiogas: Turning grabage into cooking gas

Now that you’ve kept your fruits and vegetables fresh, what should you do with the scraps?

HomeBiogas is an Israeli startup that has created a self-assembled biogas system that turns kitchen waste and livestock manure into usable cooking gas and liquid fertilizer. The system can produces clean cooking gas for three meals and 10 liters of clean natural liquid fertilizer.

Air pollution was shown to be responsible for many diseases, including cancer. Israeli startup Opgal checks the joints on the pipes that transport gas, oil, and chemicals. Its EyeCGas FX, a gas-leak detection infrared camera can quickly detect gas emissions such as ethylene, methane, butane and propane. It then automatically alerts plant managers.

BreezoMeter – Tracking air quality around the globe

Israeli mobile app BreezoMeter tracks pollutants and determines air quality in nearly every corner of the world. Its big-data analytics platform uses local air-monitoring sensors to gather real-time pollution data. The information is collected by the startup from monitoring stations around the world and is then compiled and packaged to provide up-to-date information about air quality. The startup claims its localized pollution reading is 99 percent accurate.

BreezoMeter can’t change the fact that pollutants are a fact of life in our modern world, but the app does give consumers better knowledge of their surroundings, in hopes that they can then act on that knowledge. “We empower citizens to better plan their daily activities and to minimize their personal exposure to pollution,” BreezoMeter’s co-founder and CMO Ziv Lautman said in a statement.

Utilight: 3D-printed solar panels

Solar power is rapidly gaining momentum as the world’s alternative source of energy. One Israeli company at the forefront of harvesting sustainable energy is Utilight, a Yavne-based startup founded in 2009, which is using 3D printing methods to create solar cells at faster and cheaper manufacturing rates than conventional solar panels.

BioBee: Using insects to control pests

Before you swat that fly away, think twice; it may be on a mission to help make our planet greener. Israel’s Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, a pioneer in organic agriculture, has successfully left its mark on chemical-free farming with its very own company BioBee. The firm, which was established in 1984, specializes in breeding beneficial insects and mites to help propel agricultural growth in open fields and greenhouses.

Through its subsidiary Bio Fly, the company sells pollinating bumblebees and sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies to help control pests. This well-established firm already exports eight different species of biological control agent to 30 nations, including the US, Japan and Chile.

The idea behind the system is to achieve a balance between the pest population and their natural enemies. If this balance is achieved, the spraying of pesticides can be reduced to a minimum, and agricultural produce can safely be collected without fear of chemical residues.

HARBO: Keeping oil spills contained

We’ve all seen news reports of tragic oil spills that destroy entire marine ecosystems, often spreading hundreds of miles within the first 24 hours. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, tens of thousands of oil spills occur every year, and the prevention technology to deal with their aftermath has not changed in over three decades. Moreover, recovery rates continue to hover just below 15 percent, a figure that has not improved much over the years, making many of the cleanup efforts seem almost futile.

Israeli startup company HARBO Technologies tackles this tough environmental problem using an easy-to-use “floatie” it has developed, which can contain an oil spill in less than one hour. It simply circles the spill and “encapsulates” it; then, the oil “stain” is lifted and disposed of – away from the water. HARBO’s 100-foot prototype “boom” (floating barrier) contains up to two tons of crude oil overnight, without leaking, according to the company.

Eco Wave Power: Turning ocean waves into energy

Water covers three-quarters of the earth’s surface, but the world has yet to capitalize on the power of ocean waves, even though the energy that can be harvested from oceans is equal to twice the amount of electricity that the world produces now, according to the World Energy Council.

Israeli startup Eco Wave Power is taking giant steps forward in the field of renewable energy harvested from the sea. Founded in 2011, Eco Wave Power (EWP) turns water into electricity using uniquely shaped buoys (floating devices), which rise and fall with the waves’ up-and-down motion and the changes in water levels.

Eco Wave Power’s system in Gibraltar

GreenWall: Grow your own food in a vertical garden

Vertical gardens, in which residents of high-rise buildings can grow their own food, use minimal amounts of water and soil, thereby conserving natural resources. Israeli company GreenWall, which was founded in 2009 by engineer and gardening pioneer Guy Barness, has developed an advanced technology with which it erects gardens that line the walls, both inside and outside of buildings, taking up less space compared to conventional gardens and capable of growing almost every plant species with proper care.

Kermit was probably right; it’s not easy being green, but that doesn’t deter Israeli startups from making our world a little greener.

News

5,000 Expected At OurCrowd Jerusalem Summit

| December 8, 2016 | OurCrowd, a leading equity crowdfunding platform, will host their 2017 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit on Feb. 16, 2017, in Jerusalem. The company claims it is the world’s largest equity crowdfunding event and the biggest investor event in Israel. Registrations have already doubled from this time last year, with up to 5,000 people from the global tech investment community expected to attend and more than 100 startups making news are slated to participate. Attendees will span some 60 countries, and will include investors, venture and corporate partners, entrepreneurs, 30 global delegations, industry leaders and members of the press. The 2017 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit theme, “The Future Is Here,” will showcase how 2016’s highlighted cutting-edge technologies are being implemented in businesses now and remaking entire industries.

Video Optimization Co. Beamr Raises $4M

| December 7, 2016 | Israeli video optimization startup Beamr imaging Ltd. has raised $4 million from Verizon Ventures, the company reports. Previous investors in the Tel Aviv-based video and image encoding and processing company with commercially deployed content adaptive optimization technology include Eric Schmidt’s fund Innovation Endeavors, Marker LLC, and Disruptive. Beamr raised $15 million in March and $9.5 million in a financing round in 2014. Beamr was founded in 2009 by CEO Sharon Carmel.

Laparoscopy Co. Gordian Surgical Raises $2.25M

| December 7, 2016 | Israeli laparoscopy company Gordian Surgical has closed a $2.25 million financing round. German medical device company, B. Braun Melsungen AG led the investment round with €1 million, with the remainder from current shareholders and three VC funds, two of which are Chinese funds. Gordian Surgical was founded in 2012 by CEO Zvi Pe’er and is a Trendlines Group Medical portfolio company based at the Misgav Business Center in the Western Galilee. Gordian also announced it has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory clearance for its TroClose1200, an innovative trocar with integrated closure system for the suturing of abdominal wall incisions during laparoscopic surgical procedures. The FDA approval follows Gordian’s receipt of CE Mark certification in September.

Cyber Security Co. SECDO Raises $10M

| December 6, 2016 | Israeli cyber security startup SECDO has closed a Series A financing round, bringing total investment to $10 million. The investment was led by RDC, a subsidiary of Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., cofounder and chairman Marius Nacht, and the founders of Anobit, acquired by Apple. Founded in 2014 by CEO Shai Morag and CTO Gil Barak, both graduates of the IDF 8200 intelligence unit, SECDO has developed a platform to provide Next-Generation Incident Response solutions on cyber attacks. The funding will be used to expand US sales operations, customer support, and its R&D center.

P2P Insurance Co. Lemonade Raises $34M

| December 6, 2016 | Israeli P2P insurance company Lemonade has announced a $34 million Series B financing round. The funding was led by General Catalyst with participation from GV (formerly Google Ventures), Thrive Capital and Tusk Ventures, as well as existing investors Aleph, Sequoia, and XL Innovate. This brings Lemonade’s total funding to date to $60 million. Lemonade’s P2P insurance platform is powered by artificial intelligence and behavioral economics. The investment comes less than two months after the Israeli insurtech company launched in New York, and less than a year after announcing its seed round. Lemonade was founded by veteran Israeli tech entrepreneurs CEO Daniel Schreiber former president of Powermat and president and CTO Shai Winniger, a co-founder of Fiverr.com.

Shoulder Implant Co. OrthoSpace Raises $7M

| December 6, 2016 | Israeli shoulder implant medical device company OrthoSpace has raised $7 million in a financing round from new investor Johnson & Johnson Innovation and previous investors HealthpointCapital, Smith & Nephew and TriVentures. Led by Itay Barnea, CEO, Caesarea-based OrthoSpace produces InSpace, an orthopedic biodegradable balloon system that is a minimally invasive method for rotator cuff repair. The product, marketed in Europe, Israel, Russia and Hong Kong where 10,000 balloons have been implanted, is for patients who suffer from a rotator cuff injury, and reduces shoulder pain and improves the range of motion.

Tel Aviv U. Student Film Wins Latin American Festival

| December 5, 2016 | Hadas Ben Aroya’s senior film, ‘People That Are Not Me’, created as part of her studies at the Tisch School of Film at Tel Aviv University, has won first prize at the prestigious Mar del Plata film festival, the most important festival in Latin America. The film deals with the lives of twentysomething residents of Tel Aviv, and was produced, written and starred in by the director herself. The film was produced on a low budget, and is a rarity in the film world, winning awards as a feature film despite being produced as part of an undergraduate degree.

Three Hebrew U. Researchers Awarded EMET Prize

| December 4, 2016 | Three researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will be awarded prizes in three of the five award categories of the prestigious EMET Prize, accounting for three of the eight total prizes awarded in 2016. The awarding of the prizes will take place this evening at the Jerusalem Theater with the participation of the Prime Minister of Israel. The Hebrew University winners are: Professor Yehuda Bauer in Humanities (Holocaust Research) for his multifaceted research that raised public awareness of the Holocaust and influenced the study of the Holocaust and the public discourse in Israel and worldwide on antisemitism, the Holocaust and genocide; Professor David Kazhdan, winner in Exact Sciences (Mathematics) for major contributions in the design of representation theory and its uses in algebra, algebraic geometry and number theory; and Professor Haim Sompolinsky, winner in Life Sciences (Brain Research) for establishing the theoretical framework for understanding the principles of brain function and the behavior of neuronal networks, and for shaping brain theories into a systematic discipline using methods borrowed from statistical mechanics.

Israel’s SintecMedia Buys Operative Media For $200M

| December 1, 2016 | Israeli TV advertising management technology company SinTecMedia is acquiring the US digital advertising solutions company Operative Media Inc. for $200 million. The merged company will offer a range of tools that will help companies save costs by streamlining TV and digital advertising expenses. Jerusalem based SinTecMedia was acquired in April by US private equity fund Francisco Partners for $400 million from Riverwood Capital, another US private equity fund. Founded 16 years ago, SinTecMedia took a big step forward in early 2014, when it acquired Pilat Media Global, a competitor listed on the UK AIM stock exchange in which it already had a 22.7% stake. SintecMedia paid $103 million for the rest of Pilat Media, a company whose business was identical to its own.

F2 Capital Opens, Launches $50M Fund To Back Israeli Startups

| December 1, 2016 | Three members of the senior investing team at major Israeli venture firm Genesis Partners, Eddy Shalev, Jonathan “Jonny” Saacks and Barak Rabinowitz, announced today the the creation of their own early-stage fund, F2 Capital. F2 Capital is in the midst of closing a $50 million debut fund to back seed stage companies. The newly spun out firm is taking over the management of The Junction, an accelerator program that was started by Genesis Partners. Founded in 2011, the Junction is modeled after the Israeli military selection process for elite units with some 250 applicants pitching and only five companies selected to enter the six month bootcamp program. F2 provides $100,000 of funding on a convertible note to those top five selected companies. The firm maintains an option to invest more in their later rounds. Previous participants in the Junction have included: Appsflyer, Honeybook, Simplee, ClarityRay (acquired by Yahoo!), KitLocate (acquired by Yandex) and Moment.me (acquired by Wix). F2 will focus on “frontier” technology, tech that’s beginning to transform existing industries or create new industries.

Intel Joins Delphi, Mobileye To Make Driverless Car

November 30, 2016 | Giant chip maker Intel has joined Delphi Automotive and Israeli company Mobileye on their quest to manufacture a driverless car by 2019. The companies will present at CES 2017, to be held in Las Vegas in January. With Mobileye contributing its cutting-edge autonomous driving technologies, and Intel (which employs some 10,000 people in Israel) contributing the tremendous computing power needed for the future car, there’s no doubt Israel is playing a significant role in the emerging self-driving car industry. Mobileye is already collaborating with BMW and Intel on an autonomous car. Mobileye, which develops vision-based driver assistance systems that help prevent collisions, was founded in 1999 by Prof. Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram.

AT&T’s New TV App Developed In Israel

| November 29, 2016 | Yesterday, US telecommunications conglomerate AT&T launched a new TV project, in which content is streamed to the web via an application. The application was mainly developed by AT&T’s Israel R&D center. The R&D center had started out as Israeli company Interwise, acquired by AT&T in October 2007. It has over 500 employees and is managed by the center’s CEO Nir Shalom. Other than video content, the new service offers more than 120 TV channels: sports channels, content channels, live performances and more. The company said that DirectTV Now will be offered on all devices, independently of AT&T’s mobile phone services. The app is available on both Apple and Android devices, but is not currently available outside the US.

Spinal Implant Co. ApiFix Raises $5M

| November 29, 2016 | Israeli spinal implant company ApiFix has raised a $5 million Series B investment round, which will be closed by the end of next month. ApiFix is developing a minimally invasive deformity correction system for patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). Based in Misgav in northern Israel, ApiFix is part of the Trendlines Group. B. Braun Melsungen Aesculap division has invested $2.8 million in the latest financing round.

OurCrowd Opens Singapore Office

| November 28, 2016 | OurCrowd, a global leader in equity crowdfunding, announced today that it has opened an office in Singapore, its seventh worldwide, to serve the growing community of Asian investors interested in funding early stage high-growth companies. It has also appointed Denes Ban, a successful entrepreneur and technology executive, as Managing Partner Asia and head of OurCrowd’s Singapore Management company. The move follows OurCrowd’s announcement earlier this year that it has partnered with United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Sassoon Investment Corporation (SassCorp) to pursue equity crowdfunding for startups and SMEs in the region. OurCrowd also received a formal license to begin operating in Singapore from the Monetary Authority of Singapore in August 2016.

Technion Opens New Cancer Research Center

| November 24, 2016 | Scientists and researchers from around the world gathered this week in Israel for the inauguration of the Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), a first-of-its kind hub for global cancer research, which will expedite the discovery of new diagnostic tools and treatments through a collaborative “bench-to-bedside”approach. In addition to serving as a hub for multiple fields of research, the TICC will also be a nexus for the Technion’s five affiliated hospitals that run clinical trials. It will be co-led by Professor Ze’ev Ronai and Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover – who along with Technion Professor Avram Hershko and the late Dr. Irwin Rose won the 2004 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the ubiquitin system, a discovery which led to the development of efficient anti-cancer drugs, e.g. Velcade® for Multiple Myeloma.

Fintech Company PayKey Raises $6M

| November 24, 2016 | Israeli fintech company PayKey has completed a $6 million financing round. The company has developed a system enabling banks to provide peer-to-peer fund transfer services via social networks and instant messaging applications. PayKey was founded in 2014 by CEO Daniel Peled and CTO Offer Markovich. It has so far raised $6.4 million and has 20 employees.

SDK Management Co. SafeDK Raises $3.5M

| November 23, 2016 | Israeli SDK management company SafeDK has closed a Series A financing round of $3.5 million led by StageOne Ventures with the participation of Samsung Next Tel Aviv, Marius Nacht, Kaedan Capital, and angel investor Leon Waisbein. This funding round follows a seed investment of $2.25 million in November 2015. SafeDK is an SDK management and marketplace for enterprises and mobile developers. It offers an infrastructure solution, which improves mobile apps’ security, stability, and QoS by monitoring and controlling 3rd party tools integrated in the apps. The company was founded in 2014 by two women – CEO Orly Shoavi and VP Business Development Ronnie Sternberg.

Hebrew U. Grads World’s 67th Most Employable

| November 22, 2016 | An analysis of graduates’ employability published by Times Higher Education (THE) ranked graduates of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as the 67th most employable in the world, the highest among all Israeli institutions. The rankings, which reveal which universities recruiters at top companies think are the best at preparing students for the workplace, also included the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 122nd place, and Tel Aviv University in 139th place. The top 3 ranked institutions globally were California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Three Israeli Startups Raise A Total Of $37M

November 17, 2016 | Three Israeli companies, Logz.io, SeaLights, and Siemplify, announced major funding rounds this week, raising an aggregate total of $37 million. Logz.io, which combines machine learning with human insights so businesses can better understand and monitor their networks, raised $16 million, bringing the capital raised since its founding in late 2014 to $24 million. SeaLights announced it has raised $11 million. The company has developed a cloud platform, allegedly the first of its kind, for continuous quality assurance (QA) tests. Cyber security company Siemplify completed two financing rounds within nine months, raising $4 million in the first last February and $10 million in the current round.

AI Diagnostic Co. Kang Health Raises $3.3M

November 17, 2016 | Israeli startup Kang Health has raised a $3.3 million seed round from Bessemer Venture Partners, Comcast Ventures, Mangrove Capital, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Primary Ventures, and Taboola CEO Adam Singolda who is joining their board. The new company is headed by former Vroom and Wix CEO Allon Bloch. Their software takes an AI approach to diagnosing symptoms, that will at both facilitate a conversation with a user about his or her symptoms while simultaneously drawing crowd-sourced data from others who reported similar symptoms. From there, Kang’s platform would draw diagnostic and treatment suggestions.

Event Targeter EverThere Raises $1.8M

November 17, 2016 | EverThere, a San Francisco and Tel Aviv based company that helps advertisers precisely target event attendees, has raised $1.8 million in a round led by Elevator Fund. The company boasts a 21% conversion rate through personalized advertising campaigns at events and trade shows. The funding will be mainly used to grow its event marketing automation platform and its West Coast sales and marketing team. EverThere’s platform enables advertisers to connect with event audiences who are actively seeking solutions, then engages their addressable target market with unique offerings, even when do not attend or sponsors those events.

Lice Treatment Startup ParaSonic Raises $1.6M

November 17, 2016 | Israeli startup ParaSonic, which developed a comb-like device that destroys head lice using ultrasound waves, has raised $1.6 million from a private American investor, the company said yesterday. ParaSonic is an early-stage startup led by David Tavor and backed by Arab-Israeli technology incubator NGT3, which is located in Nazareth.

Mort Zuckerman Awarded Technion Medal

| November 15, 2016 | Mortimer B. Zuckerman was presented with The Technion Medal, the highest honor of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology at a festive dinner last night in New York City. A business leader and philanthropist, Zuckerman was honored for establishing the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program—a transformative initiative designed to foster collaboration between scientists in the U.S. and Israel. “The idea is to have Israelis study at the highest level of technology and science in America and vice versa, for Americans in Israel,” Zuckerman said in a statement. “Collaboration and cooperation are crucial in today’s fast-paced world of science. This is a win-win for both countries,” Technion President Professor Peretz said in a statement.

Playtech Buys Finance Co. CFH For $120M

| November 14, 2016 | Gaming software development company Playtech has agreed to buy Consolidated Financial Holdings for up to $120 million– a deal it said will enhance its position as it continues to build a B2B offering in its financials division. Playtech is controlled by self-made Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi and the acquisition will be made in two stages, as is customary with Playtech. CFH Clearing was founded in 2008 and is part of CFH – an investment group founded by two leading UK private equity funds. CFH Clearing has about 100 employees, including a 70-person IT staff.

US Energy Dept. To Invest In Israeli Clean Energy

November 13, 2016 | The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources (MIEW), along with the Israel Innovation Authority, announced the investment of $4 million in five newly selected clean energy projects as part of the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. The total value of the approved projects is $8.6 million in the areas of solar energy, biomass, fuel cells and energy efficiency. The selected startups are: BrightSource, CelDezyner, Solview Systems, Technion IIT, and Waves Audio.